Libraries are a harbinger of an educated nation. They are a source of knowledge and haven for grooming children. They nourish man by illustrating him an environment surrounded by books. They create such personalities who usher a nation in the dark dungeons of disarray. They enlighten the dark brains and make them viable of distinguishing right from wrong. Every educated nation either in pre-modernism or post-modernism has prioritized it’s libraries. The more students are inclined towards libraries, the more a country can walk on the path of progress. Libraries are those precious gems which once lost can never be founded. They provide a torch in the darkness of deep oceans and wings in the vast and wide sky. Therefore, preserving these knowledge centers should be the foremost concern of any society dreaming to win the mettle in the world.
Libraries preserve the glory of any nation. Those nations deteriorate which forget their literature and books. One may be reminded of dreadful crusaders -Mongols- who burnt the libraries of Baghdad. These heart wrenching invasions wiped out the long history of Muslims. All the librarians and books were either looted or burnt so much so that the dust of burnt books was thrown in the Tigris River which even darkened its water. This marked the end of golden Muslim period under Abbasid Caliphate and deprived the young Muslim generation of their literature and scientific inventions. Hence, libraries herald to the history, literature, and scientific developments of any society to revitalize it’s people.
Regrettably, Pakistan lags behind in making people aware of the importance of libraries. There are hardly any famous and comfortable library in the small cities like Larkana, Sukkur, and Jacobabad. The libraries which are working are succumbing to infirmity. They have become the centres of student politics and external ideologies which are detrimental to society in the long run. Sadly, some teachers also become part of this nuisance. As any eye witness, I have seen many people agitating the young generation and diverting them from their goals. Specially, in backward areas like Sukkur, this trend is quite visible. The students involved in the politics incur nothing but disgrace and humiliation upon themselves and their families. One may say that it is well-planned and well conceived idea of distracting the student and earning fame and publicity among the masses. They themselves are hollow so how can they impart anything to the students and young minds. As it is rightly said, “Empty vessels thunder bolt”. This public politics is emaciating the environment of public libraries.
Another reason behind the devaluation of libraries is the e-books. Gone is the physical comfort of holding books, feeling their leather and preserving them for their future use. Now, this system has almost eroded away. People, especially young generation, are aptly absorbed in electronic media that they don’t take pains to read a book in hard copy which is the real pleasure of reading books. Libraries in the big cities like Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi are filled with the superannuated men. Being bibliophiles, they haven’t forgotten the charm of reading books physically. But, the nourishment of any nation is possible when it’s youth partake in the educational field passionately. The western countries have learnt dreadful lessons from their past in their dark ages. They are certainly acquainted with the significance of books and their preservation. Therefore, there is a dire need to awake the masses of deep slumber through social awareness and media. In a nutshell, to build libraries and make people aware of their importance is the responsibility of stakeholders who have taken the onus of leading country towards success.
The writer is Sukkur based freelance columnist and student. He can be reached at [email protected]